1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a position locating device for determining and transmitting its own position, and a position determining system comprising the position locating device and a base station for receiving transmissions from the position locating device.
2. Background to the Invention
There are a number of situations in which a device which can transmit its position to a base station may be useful. Particularly, such a device would be invaluable in a case of an emergency where it may be necessary to deploy search and rescue units to assist a person in distress or in need of assistance.
Such situations may involve remote locations where a standard mobile telephone network has no coverage, and other forms of radio communication lack sufficient range to any nearby assistance. Examples include skiers or mountain climbers on a mountain, drivers in remote regions such as deserts or yachtsmen at sea, or a crashed airplane. Furthermore, in such situations, even if a person were able to obtain voice communication with a rescue unit via radio or telephone, they might be incapable of describing their location, as they may be incapacitated or separated from instruments which can determine their location. This may be the case if skiers or mountain climbers have been caught in an avalanche or a boat has been capsized in a storm. Furthermore, drivers in remote regions, such as aid workers or oil workers may be in a kidnap situation.
A device which can be activated to automatically determine and transmit its position would be useful in such situations, but would also be useful to any drivers, in the case of, for instance, a breakdown in a remote location late at night.